A Season Called Change
by ShadowarKat
Summary: There is more than just vampires and werewolves in the supernatural world of the Twilight Series. The werewolves known to Bella may not be Children of the Moon, but they are only a small, forgotten faction of the Ancient Shape-shifters. Rhode thinks she is a normal teenage girl, living the high school life. But what happens when an almost-normal teen boy changes everything? AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome to my Twilight FanFic. Originally, I had not meant for this to be a fanfic (I wrote this a looooong time ago). But the more I wrote, the closer it sounded to Twilight. If I ever finish this story, it will get heavily edited, and there might possibly be a few cameos from the characters you know. Other than that, this story is mine, most (if not all) of the characters are mine, and...yeah.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, the world nor the Twilight characters written by Stephanie Meyer.**

* * *

My name is Rhode Elemi. I am 17 years-old. This is about a period of time in my life when just about everything that I knew to be true, changed.

A Season called…

Change

Life, as we know it, is full of secrets. Governments keep secrets, people keep secrets, parents, friends, everyone has a secret. Secrets are kept because sometimes people can't handle the truth. My secret is something that people only guess at, dream about, read about in fiction novels, but they never think it could be true.

"Mum, why are you crying?" Rhode asked with a burning curiosity and a hint of worry.

"You have always been so observant, haven't you Rhode? Even when you were younger than now." Rhode's mother, Sarah Hawk, said as she stroked her daughter's hair and smoothed the worry line that had appeared on Rhode's forehead. "I am happy and sad that you are growing up so fast! I mean, you are already ten years-old. It seems like only a week ago we were celebrating your third birthday." She sat for a minute, lost in thought.

"There's no need to cry, Mum." Rhode said, repeating the words that Sarah had used to comfort her daughter so many times before. Sarah looked at her daughter; Rhode looked at her mother. Rhode looked _like_ a mother. Sarah felt as if she and Rhode had switched places, as if Rhode had been the mother all along. It was almost as if she knew…

"Anyways," Sarah said quickly wiping away the tears. "Today is a happy day, right?"

"Yes Mum!" Rhode said, a wide grin spreading across her face.

 _She may be super-observant, but she is still a ten-year-old girl,_ Sarah thought. _My ten-year-old girl._

"Mum? What kind of cake is it this year?" Rhode asked, staring at the dish covered by a towel on the counter.

"Hmm, what is your favorite this year?"

"Chocolate-Vanilla Ice Cream-Cake with those yummy cherries that they give you at restaurants." she answered almost immediately. Sarah blinked. _How did Rhode know? Was it a coincidence?_ Sarah thought. _It has to be a coincidence._

"Well it's your lucky day!" Sarah said happily. Rhode's face lit up.

"Thanks Mum!"

Later that night, after the celebrating and after Rhode went to bed, a visitor came to see Sarah.

"No! You can't take her. I won't let you!" Sarah almost yelled.

"We had a deal." A man's voice said calmly.

"I don't care if we had a deal! I'm calling it off." She announced, folding her arms across her chest.

"You can't call off the deal, Sarah." The man said. "We agreed that you would have her for ten years and I the rest, 'till she moves out, anyways."

"I can't let you take her though!" She almost started crying.

"Why? What is she to you?" This, the man asked, in a way that made Sarah stop and think. She then stepped up to him, so close that she was inches from his face.

"She is my daughter. She is my caretaker, my guardian, my angel. If you take her away, who is going to take care of me?" She half-whispered. It was meant to be a rhetorical question but he replied, "May the Lord be with you Sarah." Then he kissed her gently on the forehead.

"John, you can't do this." Sarah whispered, tears dropping from her jaw.

"A deal is a deal. I'm sorry. Now, please, go pack her things before I have to do it myself. I'll get the car ready." He said over his shoulder as he walked out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Rhode sighed as she walked into the ladies locker room. Then she groaned. Looking at the billboard, the one that announces what we were doing in gym today, she had never felt so eager for class to be over even before it had started. Hockey, again. She heard the groans of my classmates behind me.

"Um, did someone order a truck stop? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that is the only reason why you should have stopped."

Rhode had to smile as she listened to her best friend, Kit, make her way through the locker room doors.

"Oh, I see! Someone ordered a puck-stop. My mistake!" Everyone laughed, even as Kit did a horrible imitation of their gym teacher, Coach Feinke, all the way to her locker. Rhode's locker is right next to Kit's but all attention was on Kit. Rhode got dressed quietly, thinking and listening to the jokes that were ringing through the locker room. They were loud enough that she was sure the boys could hear them, even with their locker room on the other side of the gym.

As they walked out to the gym, Rhode started to feel sick. She could see the boys approaching them from the other side of the gym. They seemed to be walking really slow. She wished they would hurry up so that class would end sooner. Rhode noticed that as they came closer they were tilting to one side. _Why are they walking like that?_ She thought. Some of them had expressions of alarm in their faces. "RHODE!" was yelled out, but it sounded so far away that it couldn't possibly have been for her. Then she looked down and the ground was speeding to meet her head. And then she blinked.

Rhode was on the gym floor. Students surrounded her. She didn't recognize the guy closest to her, he must have been new. He had semi-short hair, a dirty blonde color with light blonde streaks and bronze streaks. His face wasn't too long and not too thin, either. He had a few light freckles, and a perfect nose. His mouth looked extraordinary and glimpsing at his arms, he looked like he was ripped but she couldn't be sure.

"How long have I been out?" Rhode asked hoarsely. She tried to sit up but was hit with a dizzy spell and a wave of nausea and she fell back holding her head. She landed on something firm but soft.

"You have been out for a little over 20 minutes." the guy said. "Don't try to get up, just relax."

Rhode studied how his body was positioned, a little awkwardly angled, and how his chest was closer than it should have been. Then she noticed how he was leaning back comfortably on his hands. That's when she blushed. Until now Rhode hadn't noticed that the soft landing for her head had been his leg, or his thigh to be exact.

He didn't seem to miss any of this. "I apologize if this makes you uncomfortable, Miss Elemi, it is the closest thing we had to a pillow." The blood drained from Rhode's face. The room seemed to get colder and her classmates looked at each other, a little confused. _How does he know my real last name?! Only Kit and Leo know about it!_ Rhode thought. Yet, unlike the others, the guy seemed unconcerned. He twitched a little bit, out of too much sitting or something else.

Then, her over-observant eyes saw something else that was unexpected. The corners of his mouth started to pull up into the smallest of smiles, one that only meant for Rhode to see. It was one of those smiles that says, I know something you don't know. All she could do was stare.

When Rhode didn't speak, Kit tried filling in for her. "Look, I don't know who you think you are-"

He cut her off. "My name is Terri. My last name is Aki."

"Well Mr. Terri Aki, I-"

This time Kit was cut off by the roaring laughter of the class. Kit shut up. She was mad because she wasn't the one who dished the punch line. Rhode was only vaguely aware of this. She was still staring at the boy's face.

"Rhode! You tell him." Yelled Leo Vancardi, her other best friend.

This boy had been looking around, looking at the speakers, each during their turn, but then his gaze fell on Rhode. She had to remember to breathe, for the color of his eyes were a penetrating, yellow-green color, something you might find on a cat. I hadn't noticed them until now. When I didn't speak, he half smiled.

"I understand. You don't ever use that last name, am I correct?"

I could only nod. Then he smiled the most gorgeous smile I had ever seen and, I lost consciousness for the second time today.


	3. Chapter 3

When I came to, I was lying in the nurse's office. When I turned to look around me, I nearly jumped off the opposite side of the bed. Sitting by my side was the boy I was laying on after my first faint. Not that he was scary or anything, he was just so quiet that he startled me. He stared at me, with an amused expression on his face.

"What, do I look funny or something?" I asked, confused by his expression. I started finger-combing my hair.

"No! Not at all, it was just…never mind."

I looked at him. "How long was I out this time?"

"Oh, only a good… 45 minutes." he said, trying to keep his composure. He was teasing me, and enjoying it. But I didn't want to let him get to me.

"Thank you for helping me...your name is Eriks, right?" I said, trying to act indifferent.

The corner of his mouth pulled up into a half-smile. "Correct. Kyo Ericks." Wow. What a beautiful name. I looked away, not knowing if my face had looked dazed or not.

"May I walk you to your class, Miss…?" He was searching for my other last name, the one I go by normally.

"Hawk." I said. "That's the last name that I use."

He smiled. His utterly gorgeous smile. "Alright, Miss Hawk, shall we walk?"

And that, we did. We walked in silence for a few minutes, until the question that was bubbling in my mind since I met him kind of just tumbled out of my mouth, really fast. Kyo laughed. Oh, that laugh! Beautiful just like his eyes and his smile and all the rest of him…

"Speak slower, please, Miss Hawk." Not only was he smiling his breath-taking smile, but his eyes were playfully laughing, too. I looked straight forward and cleared my throat.

"Is that the real color of your eyes?" I asked. I found myself looking into his eyes again. He's doing it on purpose, I thought. He laughed quietly, and his eyes were still laughing, too, but there was something else there now. Behind the simple laughter, there was a kind of excitement, almost as if he were saying, I know something you don't know and I'm not going to tell you yet. His voice brought me back.

"I find it strange, Miss Hawk...things seem to come easier with you. I find myself wanting to tell you everything. And I never laugh like this with anyone but my closest friends." I blushed profusely when he said this. This is not the kind of thing I am used to! But it sounds so nice; his words touched on a feeling, somewhere deep in my heart, though what feeling it is, I can't tell.

"Miss Hawk," he continued. "I am going to tell you the truth about my eyes. They are my real eyes, but everyone else thinks they are contacts."

I stared into his eyes again. "I think they are amazing." My fingers ichted to reach up and touch his face. But I held back. That would be a little weird, if I just randomly touched this guy's face when I barely just met him. Maybe sometime in the future, though. We then continued to walk to my class, both lost in thought. I was thinking about what he said when he told me that he wanted to tell me everything, and how he was laughing out loud with a complete stranger. I also thought about how he was willing to tell me his secrets. What does he see in me that makes him so relaxed and open with me? Occasionally, I glanced over at him, only to see him looking straight ahead, but not really seeing anything. His expression seemed solemn, and maybe with a little pain or sadness mixed in, too. I wondered what he could be thinking about.

We arrived at my class a few minutes later. Oddly enough, I didn't want to go back to class now. I wanted to stay with him, ask him questions. But I had never skipped class before, so I decided just to go back.

"Thank you, Miss Hawk, for the relaxing walk." Kyo said.

"And thank you, for walking me back, and again, taking care of me." I said, slightly blushing at the last bit.

"It was a pleasure." He smiled, and I felt like he should be bowing to me. What a strange guy. I looked down at my feet for a second, in hopes to hide my blush from him, but when I looked back up, Kyo Eriks was gone. Where had he gone? How could he have disappeared so fast? I sat, bewildered, for a few moments and went into class.

Upon entering the room, I was bombarded with questions from Kit as she hug-attacked me. Leo came up behind her, his expression burning with curiosity. But, even then, he pulled Kit off me and told her to calm down. It was then that I noticed the venomous stares from some of the cheerleaders in my class. Normally these girls would have just ignored me and continued to gossip and do their nails, make-up, and whatever else could be improved on their already-perfect selves. Now, they were staring at me with the same hostility they would show if, say I tried hanging out with a guy they idolized or something like that. But what had I done? None of the guys they idolize were even close to being on my very short list of guys I would ever talk to of my own free will. Kit was still trying to ask questions through Leo's hand, which he placed over her mouth. He could see that I was thinking deeply and that I didn't feel like answering Kit's questions, even though Kit was so deep into her interrogation mode that she didn't notice anything other than the questions she wanted answers to. None of us noticed the cheerleaders approaching until it was too late.

"So, Rhode, did you play sick just to get close to him?" Heather, the cheer captain, asked. Her voice dripped with the jealousy that could be seen in her eyes just as well as it could be heard. "Did you feel special?" she asked. Who is she talking about? At least I know it's about a guy now. But who had I had contact with today? I couldn't think clearly.

"Wha-what are you talking about?" I stammered. Why was I suddenly weak and acting like a fool?

Heather turned to the two other girls behind her, Brittany and Jessica. "See?! She's trying to deny it! She did feel special laying on his lap! She even got him to smile!" Heather sounded close to tears.

"Who…?" I stopped. I thought about what happened in my last class period. No…, I thought. She can't possibly be talking about...No…! She can't be talking about…

"Kyo!" Heather yelled. "Kyo Ericks! That's who I'm talking about." At the moment, she reminded me of bull. I think I even saw her nostrils flare.

"Look, Heather, I was feeling sick. I couldn't possibly know that he was going to be the one to rest my head on his lap. I didn't even know of his existence until today." I said. "Besides, how did you know what happened?"

She looked at her manicured nails. "I heard some of the guys talking about it and coaxed the whole story out of them." she said with a shrug. Leo, who had been silent this whole time, chimed in, "Oh? And what did you bribe them with, a kiss? Or maybe a make-out session? Or maybe something a little more scandalous?" Everyone knows that Heather is not a good girl, and she would do pretty much anything to get what she wants. No one sees a good future for her right now. Of course, no one has probably thought of Why she is the way she is. The two girls behind Heather looked at Leo with a little fear, of what, we never found out. But Heather, turned as red as her dyed-hair, and shot a look at me before attacking Leo.

"Shut it, Vancardi, or I will make sure you are the one to be the mascot at your own pep-assembly." Leo broke into a sweat. That was not something Leo would be able to live down because a) the mascot for our school is a beaver, and b) Leo is the best quarterback on the varsity football team. Being the mascot would be uber-humiliating for him. Long ago the cheerleaders drooled over him, some of them still do, but they stopped after he kept turning them down.

"Whoa whoa whoa, calm down Princess." Kit said. She had finally realized no one was listening to her, and joined in on the conversation. "You really need to go to an anger management class. Besides," Kit got really close to Heather and her two sidekicks and whispered something to them. Whatever she said to them made them turn pale and the hurried to their seats without another glance at us.

"How did you do that?" Leo asked. "If I had you around freshman year, I could have saved three years of running from them."

"Sorry, Bub, but its a trade secret." she said, miming shooting the three girls, then blowing the smoke from the barrel of her imaginary gun. She glanced at us staring at her, then continued. "I only just figured it out actually. But I'm still not going to tell you yet. I would like to savor using my new secret weapon for a while longer."

They continued this conversation for a little while while I sat thinking things over. I started when Kit poked me. "So...when are you gonna tell me about what happened in the nurse's office? Did he stay with you? What did you talk about? Tell me, tell me, tell me, pleeeeease!"

Leo laughed. "Calm down, chatterbox. You'll chase her away."

Kit crossed her arms and pouted. "No I won't." she mumbled.

"His name is"— I stopped and lowered my voice — "Kyo Eriks. He is really mysterious. I don't know anything else about him other than that."

"So that's Kyo Eriks…" Leo looked lost in thought, then looked back at me. "I have heard a lot about him but I didn't know who he is."

"Well, I want to know more about him, but I don't know how to do that without being mauled by the she-bears over there." I subtly indicated to the cheerleaders. Leo suddenly took my shoulders, making me look at him.

"Rhode, I don't think it's a good idea to get anywhere near him. You could get hurt really badly by him and the cheerleaders. Besides, we don't know what he is like and how he treats others. Sure he seemed nice and all that, but that could just be a front to let him deep inside where you are easily hurt." He was looking at me a little anxiously, but there was also something else in his eyes, something I couldn't make out. He released my shoulders.

"Ok…? You're acting a little weird, Leo." Kit said, laughing.  
Then the bell rang. We all stood up and got ready to go. We might go out to lunch, off campus. Who knows? We always decide last minute. But food was hardly the most important thing in my mind right now. I had to find out more about Kyo Eriks.


	4. Chapter 4

_Trapped. Black. Everything is black. There is no light. Wait...there is a little flicker. Where is it coming from? The light is growing, spreading. I see my feet. They are fitted in a strange type of armored shoe. The light is underneath my feet. It's still spreading, farther and farther. Suddenly, I am standing on the edge of a lake, the water is black. A courtyard from a castle of some sort, made of dark gray stone seemed to have erected out of the water at some point but the floor was not of stone, but of the black water. Behind the stone arches and buildings, I saw the moon. A black moon. Closer than I have ever seen it. The ground on which I was standing glowed palely as if I were standing on the moon itself. I moved a foot and the ground where I stepped glowed brighter for an instant and slowly dimmed to match the glow of the rest of the ground. It was beautiful in a creepy sense. All was deserted, I was alone, but I did not feel alone. I looked at the courtyard again, my eyes drifting down to the water. I looked at the reflection in the water, but it was not as I saw on the surface. Reflected on the other side were ruins of light gray stone. Behind those ruins, the moon hung, not as close, but it was white. It seemed to be another world reflected in the black water. I realized that the ruins were those of the courtyard, but the colors were reverted back to normal. I was in a place where the colors of things were opposite. It seems that I am the one in another world._

 _I seemed to be standing there for what felt like forever. Nothing moved, there was no sound. Even the moon stayed behind the courtyard. In that time I didn't really think about anything. Not even the question of where I was crossed my mind. I know this place. I am comfortable with it. I see my reflection in the water. I am dressed in armor, capable of extreme movement, sturdy but light, and comfortable. This is not a strange sight, either._

 _More silence. How much time passed, I don't know. It almost felt as if I were dead. But then I felt a presence. No, more than one. Five. I couldn't see them but I felt them there. Who were they? Why are they here? I felt myself getting defensive over this place I knew, but didn't remember. I felt someone touch my hand and tried to pull away, but I couldn't. My body froze when this presence touched me. Then it spoke. The water rippled, matching the syllables of the words spoken. The voice, at first, was just sound, incomprehensible, a little more than a hum. As I focused on the voice, words started to become understandable. Although it progressed far from just a hum, it never became clearer than a voice speaking to me while my head was immersed in water. But the voice was familiar. Now more voices were speaking. Two strange voices, male and female, sounding middle-aged. Two other male voices, familiar, one adult, one adolescent. Then a teenage girl, also familiar. Even though I recognized these voices, I couldn't remember who they belonged to._

 _These voices came and went, time and time again. Sometimes there was contact; sometimes the same hand held mine for long periods of time. Other times there was a hand constantly holding mine, occasionally switching hands, but then there were times when there was quiet, and I could not sense anyone near me. Sometimes I could see the shapes of the people near me, and I always saw the shapes of those who touched me. They were misty figures, shimmering in the light emitted from the ground, but like dancing shadows. The figures that I felt I knew tugged at memories that were sleeping deeply. Their voices, always sounding sad and full of longing, called out to me._ **"Rhode! Please come back!"** _Not many of them appealed to me enough to bring me to them, though._

 _New voices came and went, most of the time not talking to me, but talking about me. Did they not know that I could hear them? I never really payed attention to those voices, they were annoying most of the time, but when I did listen, I got angry, but would then forget that anger when I would hear a startled cry. What happened? Why did you cry out like that. Sometimes I felt the smallest urge to talk back to those voices that sounded the most distressed. What's wrong? I'm right here, why are you saying come back? I even tried once, but they couldn't hear me. This continued on._

 _One time, when all other voices and hands had gone, a new hand touched mine. This hand was gentle and loving, warmer, different from all the other hands. They had been loving but fervent, sometimes even painful. Another hand, matching the one holding my hand, caressed my face. It was then that I became fully aware that the body I saw now was not my physical body. I suddenly felt my body around me, my mind deep within its boundaries. And that's where I was, trapped inside my mind. I felt my body being moved, my head being lifted up and then gently set back down, onto a different surface than the previous one. I wanted to open my physical eyes to see who this person was, but my body would not obey me. I felt the presence behind me metaphysically, and I was almost afraid to turn around. Then he spoke. It was only a whisper, but it was clearer than any of the other voices. Tears started to run down my mental face, and I thought I felt them come from my physical eyes, too. Why am I crying? His form was behind me, and already I knew that he would be clearer, more solid than any of the other figures. I did not want to know who it was, even when he hugged my frozen body from behind. This was enough. Comfort, more than anyone else could have given me. When he spoke, his whisper touched on a feeling somewhere deep in my heart. I had felt this before, but when? He stood there holding me, both looking out to the courtyard, tears streaming down my face. This is nice._ **"Rhode,"** _he whispered._ **"You have to pull through this. People are waiting for you, they depend on you. Please come back. We need you. I need you. It's not your time to go yet. I know this place is very comfortable, but you have to leave. You will visit many times in the near future, but you have to come back now. Please don't go."** _I closed my eyes, more tears welling up and pouring down my face. And, almost as if he could tell that my metaphysical eyes were closed, he kissed my lips, with the utmost care, holding for just a second before letting it go. Soothing but torturing at the same time. A beautiful kiss. A bittersweet kiss. I opened my eyes, even though I knew I would not see him in front of me. My first kiss, stolen while I was trapped inside my own body. But it didn't seem as bad as it probably should, almost like I wanted it to happen, too. I know this person. Now I wanted to know who it was._ **"Now sleep, Rhode, get some rest."** _My mind was suddenly very tired. I looked around me, at the courtyard, at the moon, at the ground. I didn't want to leave, yet at the same time I did. My eyes drooped. I will call this place, The Moon Court._ _The voice changed._ **"You have a big day tomorrow!"** _Mom?_


	5. Chapter 5

I woke up gasping for air. I felt like I just had an intense dream that I couldn't recall. It was dark in the room. But it wasn't my room. _Where am I?!_ I sat up, looking around. Cautiously, I reached up towards my face and removed the thing that was restricting me. An oxygen tube? As I pulled it over my head, I felt something else. A bandage…What happened? Why can't I remember?

My feet touched the cold tile as I quietly got off the bed. I was terrified of these new circumstances, but couldn't feel more composed. I started walking. Not really seeing anything, I walked through white hallways on white floors. The cold seemed to seep under the skin of my arms and legs, while my hands and feet had long since gone numb. I just walked. Only questions commandeered my thoughts. Why am I here? How did I get here? Why can't I remember anything? Why is my head bandaged? I barely noticed the light filtering in through the window gradually growing lighter.

"Miss Hawk?" A hesitant voice said. It sounded like it could belong to a doctor. Was he behind me? "Miss Hawk," he said again. "Are you awake?"

"Yes." My voice sounded hoarse and gross. It was rusty, almost as if I hadn't used it for a while.

"How long have you been walking around?" I could tell that he thought his own question sounded dumb.

"I don't know, for a while? It was dark when I woke up." I realized how thirsty I was. I needed something to drink.

"You have been walking around for three hours?" He said incredulously.

"I guess so…Why haven't I met any other people here? It must be after 6 AM, so why haven't I met anyone else?" I stood still, feeling more relaxed now that someone else was here.

"Er, Miss Hawk, I don't know how you have been walking around all this time without being able to see—"

"What do you mean? Of course I can see!"

"But Miss Hawk…you have thick, heavy bandages covering your eyes!" he said earnestly.

"That's ridiculous! I can see…" I touched my fingers to my eyes and froze. The bandage that I felt earlier was not only on my head, but it covered my eyes as well. How…? My 'vision' disappeared. Everything was black. Again. I didn't want him to think I was crazy. I didn't want to _be_ crazy. I was scared, but I still had my composure.

"Ha ha ha, just kidding!" I played. "I think I was holding the wall while walking. Boy, did I fool you!" I laughed more. I hoped they didn't have cameras where I walked.I let the doctor lead me back to my room, wherever that was. I stayed quiet. I had already said too much nonsense. Back in my room, the doctor laid me back down.

I dreamt of the Moon Court again. This time I could move around freely. And just like before, I felt him wrap his arms around me. Even though I could move this time, I still was unable to see who it was. Not such a bad dream. Drowsiness soon overcame me in his arms, and I was eased back to reality.

The doctor was there when I woke up, careful not to startle me too badly. The dream faded like a passing breeze as my concentration was forced to the doctor while he did his tests.

"How would I know what happened if I don't even know why I am here?" I asked, genuinely curious. I hoped he didn't think I was giving him attitude.

"That's a good question." There was a smile in his voice. "So what do you remember?"

I was silent for a while. "I don't want to sound crazy…"

"Don't worry about that." He said gently.

Silence for another moment. "I don't remember anything. It feels like there is a wall set up just around what I know now, or something like that. It's not like I've lost my memories; I feel them there. But I can't access them." Then I was quiet again. I heard his pen scratching. He was writing something lengthy.

"Doctor…are you going to tell me what happened?"

"I am going to say a few words to try to stimulate your memory first, okay?" I nodded. "Fire."

Something flickered in my memory. Fiery snowflakes. The fragment was quick but full of pain. I flinched. More scratching on the paper.

"Explosion."

Tall flames, that were much too close, seemed to lick the stars. I thought I felt the heat on my face, becoming painful around my eyes. They were strong memories, even though they were fragments.

"What exactly happened to me, Doctor?" I asked. These memory fragments scared me.

"I think…" he paused. 'I think that it would be best for you to remember it in your own time. If what you say is true, there is probably a reason why your memories are blocked off." I heard him start to walk away when he stopped. "I will tell you this: the skin around your eyes was burned from intense heat, and you hit your head pretty hard. You were in a coma for three weeks."

I took a deep breath. "Wow. I imagine a few people have been missing me."

After he left, I laid back down, unsure of what I could actually do aside from sleep. All I could do is wait for my eyes to heal, really. Sometime later, I heard someone enter my room. Was it the doctor? Or a nurse? They sat on the edge of the bed near my arm. Who was this? Suddenly there were lips touching mine. A kiss. A bittersweet kiss…Memories of the Moon Court and what happened during my coma flooded my mind. Tears welled up and wet my bandages as I cried. Whoever it was held the kiss for a little longer, and then they weren't there anymore. I went to touch my lips but stopped, afraid to lose the memory of that kiss, too.

When the nurse came in later, she informed me that I would be having special visiting hours since I woke up. The people closest to me were informed and would probably be coming all at once. It was unsettling that I wouldn't be able to see their faces, even though I probably wouldn't remember them anyways.

I heard hushed voices outside my room, then some quiet footsteps. I sat up and climbed out of the bed and started to walk in the direction that I knew the door was in. I jumped when someone grabbed my shoulders and pulled me towards them. I was shocked when whoever it was kissed me. I had to admit, I was disappointed when it wasn't the kiss I received earlier. I didn't know why this was any different though; they were both strangers to me now. I pushed him away (now sure that it was a guy) almost as quickly as he grabbed me.

"Who do you think you are?!" I said, louder than I intended. On impulse, I wiped the unwanted kiss from my lips.

"Rhode, it's me, Leo. I'm your boyfriend."

 _I have a boyfriend?_ I thought to myself. Another quick memory fragment flashed in the darkness, causing me to flinch. I saw a guy's face, a scoreboard from a sports game, and then nothing else.

"Rhode! Are you okay?!" This guy, Leo, said. I felt him touch my shoulders again. Another memory flash. A girl's surprised, even worried face, looking at the same boy's face. The boy was looking at me with an angry expression. Even though there was no sound accompanying the fragment, he was apparently yelling at me. The memory faded to black again. I reflexively retreated from him, afraid he might have hurt me before. I couldn't help it. I was already scared, and all I had to go on were these slivers of light in the darkness that's now my past.

I had started crying, refusing to allow him to touch me while he kept trying to calm me down. i had backed into a corner and he was blocking me. Where was the doctor? The nurse? When would they come to save me?

"Leo, you are scaring her! Back off! She can't remember anyone, remember?" I stopped crying. This girl's voice was familiar. A flash of a face. A fragment of voice in the Moon Court during my coma, and a touch of my hand.

"I recognize that voice!" I wiped my face and stood up, despite Leo, and stumbled toward the girl. She took my outstretched hand gently.

"Do you remember me, Rhode?" She asked quietly. I could hear the shocked excitement in her voice. I really didn't want to disappoint her.

Hurt, I replied, "I'm sorry. I don't. But your voice and hands are familiar. Did you visit me during my coma?" I asked even though I knew.

There was a pause. She must have nodded and then realized I couldn't see it because she answered, "Yes. I came often."

"What's your name?"

"Kit. I'm your best friend." She said sadly. With my free hand, I started to reach up to her face, but I hesitated. She grabbed it and pulled it to her face, gently pressing her cheek into my palm.

"Kit." I repeated it several times trying to remember. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry that I can't remember my best friend." My imminent tears were more evident in my voice as I tried to apologize over and over again, while Kit hugged me and whispered to me.

"It's okay. It's alright. We can always become best friends again, if you'd like." Her words were soothing, though heavy with a sad smile.

"And what about me?" I jumped when Leo spoke, having forgotten he was in the room. I imagined a man emerging from the shadows, intruding on a special reunion of two, long-lost, forbidden friends. I shook my head.

He let a frustrated sigh. I heard him start stomping towards me. I bumped into Kit trying to get away, allowing Leo to catch up to me and grab my hands.

"Please, you have to remember me. Rhode!"

My body began to shake with the new information my brain was processing from new slivers of memory that I was associating with this desperate boy. His fervent hands and voice were just as painful and anxious as I remembered them from my coma. Who is this guy? Where is the doctor?

"Stop it!" I yelled. I was crying again. "Don't touch me!"

"Leo, that's enough!" Kit said, not quite yelling. "You are scaring her."

"Shut it, Kit!" Leo sounded upset. "I need her to remember me. She already remembers you." Then, to me, "Please, Rhode!"

I heard a struggle happen in front of me, though I couldn't know what happened.

"Excuse me, is this a bad time?" Everything froze. This new voice…did I really hear it correctly? "I brought some flowers for Miss Hawk—"

I took no time to think. No hesitating. This wasn't a new voice. No, I knew him, from before my coma, but where? I stumbled toward him, unsteady in my hurry. I lost my balance and fell, but someone caught me. His hands didn't match Leo's, but is he the one I was running for?

"Are you alright, Miss Hawk?" Question answered. I jumped up and hugged him, feeling intense security from this familiar stranger.

"What the…" Leo said.

"Erm, Rhode? Do you know who you are hugging? Do you remember him?" Kit asked.

This guy, the only one I felt I trusted almost as much as my doctor and nurses, wrapped his arms around me in a tight but gentle embrace. I buried my head in his chest and relaxed. This is him. The one from my coma and dream in the Moon Court. I was sure that if he kissed me right now, it would be that bittersweet kiss.

Someone coughed irritatedly. My mystery guy chuckled very quietly and let me go. "Well Miss Hawk, I am glad you are awake. I brought you these flowers. Peony roses and sweet pea blossoms. Someone told me they were your favorites." I could hear the smile in his voice. The smile that I had the strong desire to see.

"Rhode, you can let him go now." The jealousy in Leo's voice was thick and venomous. I let him go.

"From what I saw earlier, this reunion seems to have taken a toll not just on Miss Hawk, Mr. Vancardi." I liked how this mystery guy was standing up for me.

"Oh, don't 'Mr. Vancardi' me, Kyo. What are you even doing here? You've only met Rhode once.

"I volunteer here, at the hospital. I visited her a few times as part of my rounds. Now, please, calm down."

"You are telling me to calm down?!" Leo yelled.

I heard hurried footsteps down the hall. When did I start crying again? "Who do you think you are?" I screamed toward Leo. "You may have forgotten, but I have amnesia." Much quieter, I said, "I don't remember anything. I don't know who I am. I can listen to what you tell me, but how much of that is true? I can't even see you."

"But Rhode," Lep said, sounding close to tears. "You have to remember me."

That struck a nerve with me. "I don't _have_ to remember you, or anything else! Maybe I don't want to remember!"

Just then, the doctor rushed through the door. "What in the world is going on in here?! Are you all upsetting Miss Hawk?" He asked sternly.

Quick as I could, I ran out the door and down the hall, my bare feet barely making a sound on the cold tile. I let my subconscious take over; it seemed to know its way around. My 'sixth sense' kicked in and guided me out of harm's way.


End file.
